This white paper is for entrepreneurs, business owners, and marketing executives who want to know more about the most important and effective components of a successful social media campaign.

1.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
Leah
Messina
│ CEO
of
Sinuate
Media
Emily
Summers
│ Principal
of
Market
Torque
October 2012

2.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
About
Sinuate
Media
Sinuate
Media
is
The
Organic
Marketing
Company.
We
envision
and
execute
digital
marketing
strategies
that
encompass
custom
crafted
solutions
for
unique
companies.
From
the
spark
of
an
initial
idea
to
a
fully
engaged
plan,
Sinuate
Media
provides
a
single
source
for
all
digital
marketing
needs.
Contact:
Leah
Messina,
CEO
443.992.4691
leah@sinuatemedia.com
sinuatemedia.com
facebook.com/sinuatemedia
About
Market
Torque
Market
Torque
is
committed
to
bringing
fresh
ideas
sparked
by
rigorous
research
and
intellect
to
new
start-­‐ups
and
ventures.
Our
core
mission
is
to
provide
strategic
marketing
advisory
services
to
companies
that
are
looking
for
fast
growth
and
getting
traction
in
creative
ways.
We
are
entrepreneurs
who
are
passionate
about
helping
companies
engage
their
audiences
in
meaningful
ways.
Contact:
Emily
Summers,
Principal
703.869.2538
esummers@markettorque.com
markettorque.com
facebook.com/markettorque
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 2

3.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
Who should read this: Entrepreneurs, business owners, and marketing executives
who want to know more about the most important and effective components of a
successful social media campaign.
Table
of
Contents
1.
Introduction—The
Current
State
of
Social
Media .................................4
2.
Why
You
Should
Care.........................................................................................5
3.
What
You
Need
to
Know...................................................................................6
4.
Addressing
Challenges.................................................................................... 10
5.
Resources ............................................................................................................. 12
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 3

4.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
Introduction—The
Current
State
of
Social
Media
Since
its
inception,
social
media
has
been
on
a
path
of
rapid
advancement.
Though
it
has
been
only
a
few
years
since
“social
media”
became
the
buzzword
in
marketing
and
consumer
circles
alike,
the
advent
of
digital
and
mobile
technologies
have
skyrocketed
its
usage
so
much
so
that
it
has
become
ingrained
in
nearly
everyone’s
life.
While
consumers
are
quick
to
adopt
the
new
technology,
marketers
rush
to
adopt.
The
purpose
of
the
Annual
Social
Media
Status
Update
is
to
help
entrepreneurs,
business
owners
and
marketing
executives
see
where
the
technology
stands
and
what
lies
on
the
horizon
each
year.
Social
media
is
ubiquitous
among
all
ages,
demographics,
and
most
geographic
locations.1
In
the
United
States,
the
birthplace
of
many
of
the
social
networking
tools
that
have
gained
in
popularity,
penetration
has
been
especially
high
with
98%
of
the
population
using
social
networking.2
Social
media
makes
lives
easier
but
also
causes
more
disruptions
since
consumers
are
now
always
“connected.”
And
it
is
not
just
for
fun.
While
social
media
has
changed
the
landscape
of
peer
interactions,
it
also
has
infiltrated
and
changed
the
operations
of
search
engine
navigation,
retail
and
e-­‐commerce,
political
campaigning,
customer
relationship
management,
and
sales.
In
addition,
while
it
is
true
that
women
once
adapted
to
social
media
at
a
faster
rate
than
men,
they
are
no
longer
the
fastest
growing
group.
In
fact,
that
accolade
belongs
to
males
and
users
who
are
55+.
The
younger,
Digital
Natives,
prefer
the
interaction
and
depth
of
social
networking.
Email
and
instant
messaging
are
aging
technologies
for
which
they
have
declining
interest.
Though
first
introduced
in
2010,
mobile
technology
has
gained
tremendous
adoption
in
2012
with
the
increased
comfort
with
Apps,
App
Stores,
and
new
ways
to
create
content
via
mobile
to
share
socially.
Entrepreneurs,
business
owners
and
marketing
executives
are
faced
with
the
dilemma
of
reaching
consumers
on
multiple
screens—television,
computer,
tablet,
and
mobile
phone—and
finding
ways
to
engage
socially
on
each
platform,
sometimes
simultaneously.
1
Pew
Internet
2
ComScore
Media
Metrics,
October
2011
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 4

5.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
1. Why
You
Should
Care
Whether
your
customers
are
consumers
or
other
businesses,
having
some
social
aspect
is
important.
Below
are
three
main
reasons
that
building
and
maintaining
a
strong
social
presence
makes
sense
for
entrepreneurs
and
marketing
executives.
Marketing
Presence
has
a
New
Definition
Of
the
Top
100
Inc.
Fastest
Growing
Companies,
nearly
77%
of
them
are
on
Facebook
and
71%
on
LinkedIn.
These
are
two
must-­‐have
social
networking
tools
for
2012.
For
those
with
additional
abilities
to
invest
resources
into
their
social
media
marketing,
Twitter
and
YouTube
are
the
next
most
popular.
Sixty-­‐six
percent
of
businesses
on
the
Inc.
Fastest
Growing
Companies
list
are
on
Twitter,
followed
by
32%
on
YouTube.
Less
than
9%
are
not
using
social
media.
Your
Customers
are
Online
Inevitably,
customers
will
take
to
social
media
to
complain
about
a
product,
service,
or
brand
when
they
are
unhappy.
Businesses
must
listen
and
monitor
these
conversations
to
protect
their
brands
and
address
customer
issues
before
they
potentially
escalate
into
a
public
relations
nightmare.
For
example,
JetBlue
Airways
uses
Tweets
to
push
out
information
about
flights
(see
right).
Targeting
is
at
Your
Fingertips
Digital
advertising
has
made
tremendous
advances
in
the
last
year.
It
is
now
possible
to
set
up
and
run
campaigns
from
Google
AdWords
and
Bing
to
both
websites
and
mobile
devices.
Targeting
is
getting
better.
Facebook
has
launched
options
for
Broad
Targeting
or
Precise
Targeting,
enabling
the
advertiser
to
handpick
interests
by
category
or
keyword
for
who
should
receive
their
ad.
Google
predicts
that
by
2015,
75%
of
display
ads
will
become
socially-­‐enabled,
meaning
the
ads
themselves
will
be
interactive
and
integrated
into
social
activity.3
There
will
be
a
major
shift
in
focus
from
the
consumer
to
mobile
devices,
and
advertisers
will
follow,
making
the
mobile
screen
the
primary
place
to
advertise
by
2015.
In
addition,
more
than
half
of
online
ads
will
also
contain
video
as
advertisers
look
for
ways
to
cut
through
the
distraction
of
the
surrounding
environments,
while
aiming
to
provide
a
richer
and
more
engaging
experience.
3
Google,
“Seven
Display
Ad
Predictions”
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 5

6.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
2. What
You
Need
to
Know
In
this
section,
each
of
the
major
social
media
tools
is
given
a
score
based
upon
how
well
they
serve
the
marketing
needs
of
small
businesses.
Because
small
and
large
businesses
have
different
needs,
the
grades
would
be
different
for
large
organizations.
As
marketing
consultants
specializing
in
the
digital
and
small
business
marketing
spaces,
we
share
our
experience
of
the
Good
and
the
Bad
features
of
each
tool
to
help
entrepreneurs,
business
owners
and
marketing
executives
determine
their
optimal
mix.
We
start
this
section
with
a
scoring
guideline.
How
We
Scored:
A
–
Overall,
it
meets
the
needs
of
small
business
and
may
generate
a
positive
impact.
It
is
within
a
reasonable
budget
to
implement
and
provides
the
best
amount
of
exposure
for
the
effort.
B
–
Can
serve
a
small
business
in
generating
exposure
but
may
take
either
more
effort
or
funding
than
other
options.
Typically,
can
be
implemented
with
additional
external
assistance.
C
–
Rarely
recommended
due
to
significant
technology
knowledge,
funding,
and/or
creative
expertise
needed
in
order
to
successfully
leverage
the
tool.
D
–
Not
recommended
for
marketing
a
small
business.
Either
not
the
right
audience,
or
requires
too
much
financial
investment
with
uncertain
return
on
exposure.
Facebook
GRADE: A
In
2012,
Facebook
continues
to
dominate
the
social
media
scene.
Nearing
the
one
billion-­‐
member
mark,
for
most
businesses,
it
makes
sense
to
have
a
presence
there
through
a
Page
and/or
advertising.
However,
this
year
has
been
full
of
changes
for
the
social
networking
behemoth.
In
March,
they
rolled
out
major
changes
to
their
design
with
the
launch
of
Timeline,
a
departure
from
the
Wall
as
we
knew
it.
Having
gone
public
in
May
2012,
Facebook
is
increasingly
looking
for
new
ways
to
monetize
as
they
transition
from
a
social
networking
to
“primarily
an
advertising
platform,”
as
a
Facebook
executive
recently
stated.
We
can
expect
to
see
ads
change
in
response
to
this.
The
Good:
For
businesses,
their
most
beneficial
tool
provides
the
ability
to
create
a
business
page
that
creates
a
platform
for
recruiting
and
communicating
with
people
who
are
asked
to
“like”
your
page
(equivalent
to
a
“fan”).
It
is
free
to
sign
up
and
gets
added
points
for
increasing
the
ability
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 6

7.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
to
brand
the
page
in
keeping
with
your
company’s
look
and
feel.
Insights,
or
page
analytics,
provide
valuable
data
about
the
audience
of
the
fans,
which
lean
and
intelligent
companies
can
leverage
for
their
interactive
marketing
plans.
For
more
advanced
users,
Facebook
also
provides
the
ability
to
integrate
aspects
of
the
page
into
the
business’s
website,
enabling
positive
cross-­‐promotion.
Plus,
who
doesn’t
want
to
leverage
an
audience
of
nearly
one
billion
potential
customers?
In
addition,
highly
sophisticated
and
recently
enhanced
targeting
allows
you
to
identify
prospective
users
efficiently
saving
costs
in
travel,
tradeshows
and
other
traditional
targeting
methods.
The
Bad:
Like
most
social
media,
managing
a
Facebook
Page
is
a
time
commitment,
and
can
come
with
some
stumbling.
This
is
a
challenge
for
smaller
businesses
with
limited
resources.
Outsourcing
the
management
and
maintenance
with
teams
including
consultants
and
interns
is
a
legitimate
solution.
It
also
may
take
some
time
to
build
up
your
audience
to
a
meaningful
threshold
as
well
as
post
content
that
resonates
with
those
fans.
Advertising
tends
to
be
more
expensive
than
others
and
click
thru
rates
are
lower
than
networks
like
Google
and
Bing.
They
believe
the
higher
cost
is
justified
since
they
are
able
to
target
by
more
detailed
options
such
as
interest
and
activity,
such
as
other
pages
liked
on
Facebook.
Twitter
GRADE: B+
The
microblogging
site,
Twitter,
has
not
yet
reached
its
saturation
point.
In
fact,
it
is
continuing
to
grow
at
a
rate
faster
than
Facebook.
Since
it
does
have
a
smaller
member
base,
there
is
more
room
to
continue
growth.
It
is
expected
to
obtain
5M
more
members
in
2012,
bringing
them
up
to
28.7M
total.
Who
are
these
new
visitors?
Primarily
18-­‐24
year
olds4
are
flocking
to
Twitter.
For
businesses
looking
to
reach
this
market,
Twitter
may
be
worth
the
time
investment
to
engage
them
there.
For
25-­‐34
year
olds,
there
has
been
a
decline
(as
perhaps
many
of
these
users
are
now
spending
time
on
Pinterest),
along
with
users
over
64.
4
eMarketer, June 13, 2012, “Daily Twitter Use on the Rise” http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009113
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 7

8.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
The
Good:
Twitter
is
an
excellent
resource
for
the
right
kind
of
business.
It
provides
a
robust
platform
for
timely
conversation
and
pushing
out
relevant
information
on
current
trends,
topics
and
targeted
updates.
It
is
easy
to
set
up
and
integrate
into
other
platforms
such
as
Facebook
and
the
blog
publishing
tool,
Wordpress.
It
is
also
an
excellent
tool
for
researching
the
latest
trends
globally
or
regionally.
The
Bad:
The
biggest
complaint
smaller
businesses
have
about
Twitter
is
that
they
still
“don’t
get
it.”
Much
of
this
concern
can
be
attributed
to
the
fact
that
the
businesses
don’t
really
know
what
to
say,
how
they
will
be
perceived,
and
how
they
will
attract
other
members.
It
also
gets
knocked
down
a
point
for
lack
of
insights
or
analytics.
On
the
right
is
a
chart
forecasting
the
growth
of
Facebook
and
Twitter
users.
LinkedIn
GRADE: A-
LinkedIn
has
securely
carved
out
its
place
as
the
only
business-­‐to-­‐business
social
network.
While
some
think
of
the
site
as
just
a
collection
of
resumes,
those
that
use
it
to
virtually
“work
the
room”
get
much
more
out
of
it.
The
Good:
LinkedIn
is
where
connections
come
to
life,
and
for
the
business
community,
it
can
be
like
panning
for
gold.
As
a
great
repository
of
information,
many
companies
are
finding
success
in
using
LinkedIn
for
competitive
research,
to
search
for
trending
topics
that
can
spark
content
for
blogs
&
newsletters,
and
to
showcase
one’s
expertise.
It
also
allows
you
to
post
questions
to
your
groups,
participate
in
discussions
and
target
specific
groups
virtually.
It
is
very
simple
to
maintain
once
you
have
set
up
a
LinkedIn
profile.
With
their
recent
acquisition
of
SlideShare,
the
presentation-­‐sharing
site,
we
can
expect
to
see
improvements
in
the
way
content
is
shared
throughout
LinkedIn.
The
Bad:
Some
may
be
hesitant
to
share
their
connections
with
others
or
give
away
too
much
background
information,
so
crafting
your
personal
brand
truly
elevates
in
importance
here.
Expect
to
get
invitations
to
connect
from
people
you
do
not
know,
especially
job
seekers
and
salespeople.
Determine
who
truly
is
a
legitimate
connection
(you
know
the
person
or
have
a
mutual
contact)
before
accepting
the
request.
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 8

9.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
YouTube
GRADE: B
The
majority
of
video-­‐sharing
sites
have
shuttered
as
the
cost
of
hosting
video
has
risen.
However,
YouTube,
with
its
integration
with
Google
search
and
Facebook
for
sharing,
has
reigned
as
the
leading
video
sharing
website.
But
for
the
business
community,
the
value
of
YouTube
truly
depends
on
one’s
industry.
For
many
small
companies,
they
struggle
with
developing
video
content
for
numerous
reasons,
particularly
cost
and
content.
The
Good:
Now
with
improved
analytics
and
a
change
in
profile
layout,
YouTube
can
be
more
meaningful
to
marketers
who
want
to
know
what
kind
of
influence
their
video
content
is
having.
Video
is
increasingly
prevalent
online
and
can
increase
the
time
spent
on
one’s
website.
The
Bad:
The
biggest
challenge,
and
the
reasons
YouTube
received
a
lower
mark
is
because
small
businesses
have
a
serious
issue
will
developing
affordable,
effective,
and
interesting
video
content.
Without
video
content,
YouTube
cannot
provide
much
value
to
the
business
and
stalls
them
from
embracing
video
content
marketing.
There
are
two
new
social
networks
vying
for
attention:
Google+
and
Pinterest.
Though
they
have
been
around
for
a
short
time,
both
have
received
a
lot
of
attention,
especially
as
brands
begin
to
dabble
in
using
them
as
marketing
tools.
Google+
GRADE: B-
After
some
unsuccessful
attempts
at
launching
a
social
network,
many
are
wondering
if
Google+
is
the
one
that
works.
It
grew
to
25
million
visitors
in
less
than
a
month,
making
it
the
fastest
growing
social
network
ever.
However,
Google
has
a
leg
up
compared
to
other
start-­‐up
networks.
Its
“embeddedness”
into
our
culture
with
Gmail,
YouTube,
etc.
has
made
its
“learning
curve”
shorter
and
its
sign
up
easier.
William
Sonoma,
Zagat,
and
MAKE
magazine
are
brands
actively
using
Google+.
It
is
a
space
to
watch
in
2013
as
more
brands
test
out
customer
engagement
with
their
Google+
Pages.
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 9

10.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
Pinterest
GRADE: B+
Pinterest,
a
virtual
pin
boards
network,
has
been
readily
adopted
by
creative
types
and
the
brands
that
attract
them.
Real
Simple
(see
example
on
right),
L’Occitane,
Lacoste,
and
Sephora
are
some
of
the
brands
that
are
embracing
the
new
phenomenon
and
pinning
photos.
The
site
caters
to
the
shortened
attention
span
by
offering
a
simple
product
that
primarily
relies
on
visual
elements.
The
site
also
skews
heavily
female—80%
of
its
members
are
female,
with
the
majority
aged
25-­‐445.
Supported
by
direct
integration
with
Facebook
and
Twitter,
they
have
succeeded
in
eliminating
the
need
to
create
a
separate
profile
on
Pinterest,
which
is
ideal
as
consumers
are
feeling
social
media
fatigue.
3. Addressing
Challenges
Throughout
this
whitepaper,
we
have
discussed
general
trends
in
social
media,
why
social
media
can
be
valuable
for
small
businesses,
as
well
as
the
tools
that
can
be
helpful.
In
deciding
on
how
to
optimize
your
social
media
presence,
there
are
three
main
challenges
you
will
likely
or
have
already
encountered.
This
section
is
devoted
to
our
recommendations
for
addressing
each
of
these
challenges.
Challenge
#1:
Creating
Content
The
major
challenges
businesses
now
face
with
managing
their
social
presence
is
the
constant
development
of
content.
Simple
and
efficient
ways
to
develop
content
for
your
social
profiles
are
to
look
at
existing
marketing
and
sales
material,
such
as
white
papers,
newsletters,
articles
written
for
trade
publications,
or
training
material
written
for
clients.
Often
times,
these
pieces
can
be
broken
down
into
smaller
chunks
suitable
for
social
media.
Don’t
forget
to
look
at
what
marketing
is
already
happening
for
your
business,
such
as
attending
trade
shows
or
speaking
engagements.
Photos,
video,
and
even
information
promoting
these
events
will
contain
valuable
information
that
can
be
posted
to
Facebook,
Twitter,
and
others.
5
Living
the
Path,
April
2012,
http://community.pathoftheblueeye.com/Data/data-­‐pinterests-­‐user-­‐demographics-­‐
april-­‐2012
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 10

11.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
Challenge
#2:
Leveraging
Connections
While
some
businesses
may
easily
collect
new
fans,
they
will
now
be
looking
to
leveraging
those
connections
to
turn
into
actual
customers.
For
those
in
a
business-­‐to-­‐business
environment
or
even
online
business,
social
media
can
be
beneficial
for
warming
sales
leads.
Having
an
integrated
marketing
campaign
will
go
a
long
way
to
do
this.
This
means
your
sales
efforts,
email
marketing,
and
offline
marketing
support
your
social
media.
On
the
flip
side,
your
social
media
should
publicize
contacts
at
your
companies
for
customer
service
or
sales
questions,
encourage
newsletter
sign
ups,
and
direct
potential
leads
to
in-­‐person
events
and
meetings.
For
those
in
a
retail
environment,
social
media
can
be
very
useful
to
promote
sales,
rebates,
coupon
codes,
and
other
promotions
for
customers.
Proactively
promoting
and
submitting
coupon
codes
to
sites
such
as
RetailMeNot.com
and
CouponChief.com
is
a
way
to
support
such
efforts.
Challenge
#3:
Investing
Wisely
in
a
Changing
Landscape
What
is
your
money
and
time
best
spent
on
when
it
comes
to
social
media?
That
is
the
question
that
many
businesses
have,
especially
when
there
seems
to
be
new
“It”
tools
launching
each
day.
This
was
especially
true
earlier
on
in
the
lifecycle
of
social
media
when
sites
like
Friendster
and
MySpace
popped
onto
the
scene,
and
then
fizzled
out.
However,
social
media
has
since
evolved
and
the
platforms
are
much
more
engrained
into
our
culture
than
its
predecessors.
With
membership
in
the
millions
of
users,
nearly
every
business
can
now
make
the
case
to
invest
in
one
or
more
social
networks.
A
combination
of
content
on
owned
properties
of
the
business
(a
company
website,
blog)
with
presence
on
social
networks
(Facebook,
Pinterest,
etc.)
provides
both
a
comprehensive
presence
for
the
business
as
well
as
the
opportunity
to
protect
the
investment.
Repurposing
content
across
all
channels
is
also
an
ideal
way
to
get
more
mileage
from
your
work.
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 11

12.
2012
Social
Media
Status
Update
4. Resources
Social
Media
News
&
Tips
Mashable—www.mashable.com
Social
Media
Examiner—www.socialmediaexaminer.com
Social
Media
Explorer—www.socialmediaexplorer.com
The
Social
Media
Marketing
Blog—www.scottmonty.com
SEOmoz
Blog—www.seomoz.org/blog
Brian
Solis—www.briansolis.com
Social
Media
Today—http://socialmediatoday.com
Social
Networks
&
Platforms
Facebook—www.facebook.com
Twitter—www.twitter.com
LinkedIn—www.linkedin.com
YouTube—www.youtube.com
Pinterest—www.pinterest.com
Google+—www.google.com/plus
Blogging
&
Web
Publishing
Tools
WordPress—www.wordpress.com
/
www.wordpress.org
Tumblr—www.tumblr.com
Blogger—www.blogger.com
HubSpot—www.hubspot.com
Social
Media
Tools
HootSuite—www.hootsuite.com
Management
tool
for
posting
&
scheduling
updates
to
a
range
of
social
networks.
Cyfe—www.cyfe.com
For
metric-­‐lovers,
an
analytics
dashboard
for
monitoring
the
progress
of
your
social
networking
profile
&
web
traffic.
Involver—www.involver.com
Apps
for
Facebook
Pages,
like
Twitter,
Slides,
Contests
Wildfire
Interactive—www.wildfireinteractive.com
Apps
for
Facebook
Pages
Tabsite—www.tabsite.com
Apps
for
Facebook
Pages,
for
running
contests,
posting
photos,
email
signup
forms,
and
more
©
Market
Torque
and
Sinuate
Media,
2012 12